Cigarette lighter



Dec. 27, 1955 E P, M|HAN 2,728,211

CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed' larh 8. 1954 14 i' f4 5e f4 I Z4 o, .50 Z0 0 l n A l o.. ,l l l j Il l r INI/E N TOR.

E/P/c F? /l//HAA/ N MMMM TTORNEY CIGARETTE LGHTER Eric P. Millan, Princeton, N. l'.

Application March 8, 1954, Serial No. 414,786

4 Claims. (Cl. 6'7-4.1)

States merely be a bottom rest for the lighter or evenA dispensed with.

The cigaretter lighter 22 comprises an oval-shaped body portion constituting a tank for the inflammable volatile lighter fluid. Within the tank or fuel chamber there is cotton or similar absorptive material, not shown. A wick 24 passes through and is surrounded by the cotton in the tank and extends out from the top of the tank casing through a wick guide or tube 26 and draws fluid from the tank. Mounted on the top of the casing is a snuffer or hood 28 adapted to enclose the exposed portion of the wick 24 in the closed position as shown in Fig. 2. The snufer moves to the open position shown in Fig. 3 in response to downward movement of member 30. The snuffer is provided with a pair of ears 32 on opposite sides of the serrated steel sparking wheel 34 and linked by a household object, convenient to carry and handle, and l. :1

prevents dust from accumulating upon the operating mechanism when the lighter is not being used and later in interfering with its proper operation. Still another object is to provide a cigarette lighter in the form of a drinking vessel in which the pivotally mounted cover for the vessel acts as a lever to actuate the igniting mechanism with ease and a minimum of effort merely by lifting the vessel cover with a slight movement of the thumb.

Briefly, the invention comprises a small light-Weight drinking vessel in the form of a beer mug having a pivotally mounted cover with a finger piece extending a convenient distance above the handle of the mug, containing within the walls of the vessel a cigarette lighter whose igniting mechanism is linked through the wall of the beer mug to the cover finger piece. The beer mug cover prevents dust and lint from falling upon the top of the cigarette lighter and fouling the mechanism when the lighter is not being used, while only a slight pressure on the finger piece for the drinking vessel snaps the beer mug cover open and actuates the lighter mechanism. The beer mug cover acts as a lever to impart a quick sharp movement to the igniting mechanism of the cigarette lighter.

A more detailed description of the invention follows in conjunction with a drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cigarette lighter of the invention in closed position;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the lighter with the main body of the beer mug broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in section and partly perspective showing the cigarette lighter in open position; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cigaretter lighter with the beer mug cover removed.

Referring to the drawing wherein like parts are represented by like reference numerals, the cigarette lighter comprises a beer mug vessel having a cylindrical wall 10, a handle 12 and a cover 14 pivotally mounted at 16 to the handle 12 by means of a two-piece metallic member 18. A linger piece serves to lift the cover 14. Positioned in the interior of the beer mug is a generally conventional cigarette lighter 22 to which no claim is made per se. This lighter is cradled within a support 24 resting on the bottom of the mug and serving to snugly hold the lighter and position it near the top of the mug. The support 24 may be made of wood or other material and may take various shapes depending upon the shape of the lighter 22. An attractive leather or paper cover 21 conceals all but the top part of lighter 22 from view in the open position of the beer mug. lf lighter 22 is round and designed to occupy the entire interior of the mug, instead of being oval-shaped as shown, the support 24 may pair of connecting members 36 to the member 30. A flint, not shown, is pressed against the roughened surface of wheel 34, and the latter is rotated by downward movement of the member 30 so as to ignite wick 24 as the snuffer moves to the open position. The construction of the lighter and the spark producing mechanism thus far 4described is well known. v i

However, according to the'invention, a pin or projection 50 is soldered or grazed or welded to the top of member 30. Member 30 is also forked at the end removed from the snuffer so as to provide a slot 52 through which a loop of wire or strong thin nylon thread 54 passes from the pin 50 through an aperture 56 in the wall of the beer mug. The loop 54 also passes through a hole 58 in the top portion of the two-piece member 18 and is prevented from being pulled back through hole 58 by the U-shaped wire keeper 60 which fits over the top portion of member 18. In the assembled position of the beer mug simulating cigarette lighter as shown in Fig. 3, the loop 54 at one end passes over pin 50 and at its other end is firmly secured to the finger piece 28 which, in turn, is attached by a pin to the upper portion of two-piece member 18.

To operate the lighter, the thumb is applied to the finger piece 20 and downward pressure on the finger piece lowers the finger piece relative to the stationary part of member 18 and lifts the cover 14 of the beer mug and raises the end of loop 54 secured to keeper 60 in response to movement of two-piece member 18, thus simultaneously depressing member 30 in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and actuating the igniting mechanism. It should be noted that as the cover 14 is lifted, the linkage integral therewith which extends to the finger piece is also lifted and thus acts to raise the wire keeper 60 and that portion of the thread 54 wound around the wire keeper 60. Because of the leverage action of the finger piece 20, there is required only a slight pressure to assure the actuation of the sparking mechanism within the beer mug.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise elements illustrated and described.

What is claimed is:

l. A beer mug simulating cigarette lighter comprising a vessel in the form of a hollow beer mug having a handle, a cover for the top end of said mug pivotally mounted on said handle, a finger piece for said cover located above and adjacent said handle and conveniently positioned for engagement with the thumb of the user, a lighter including a tank for inflammable fluid and igniting mechanism contained within said hollow vessel and below said cover, said igniting mechanism being adjacent the cover of said mug, a flexible wire-like linkage extending between and attached to said igniting mechanism within said vessel and the linger` piece external of said vessel, said linkage extending through an aperture in the wall of said vessel and being movable in response to downward movement of said finger piece in a predetermined direction to actuate said igniting mechanism.

2. A beer mug simulating cigarette lighter in accordance with claim l, wherein said igniting mechanism includen a pivotally arranged member yhaving a slot therein and a projecting pin positioned beyond said slot, said linkage ycomprising a exible loop secured at one end to said pin and at the other end to said iinger piece.

3. A beer mug simulating cigarette lighter comprising a hollow `cylindrical vessel having an ear-shaped external handle, said .cylindrical vessel being closed at the bottom and open at the top, a cover for the top open end of said vessel, a two-piece metallic support for said cover, one of said pieces of said support being integrally secured to said cover and rotatably arranged on the other piece of said support, said one piece having a finger piece attached thereto extending above and adjacent said handle, said other piece being mounted on and near the top of said handle, la lighter within said vessel and having igniting mechanism near the open end of said vessel, and a flexible linkage between said igniting mechanism and said linger piece .extending through an aperture in said beer mug whereby downward movement of said linger piece causes movement of said iiexible linkage and actuation of said igniting mechanism.

4. A beer mug simulating cigarette lighter comprising a vessel in the form of a hollow beer mug having a handle, a cover :for the top end of said mug pivotally mounted on said handle, a inger piece for said cover located adjacent said handle and conveniently positioned for engagement with the thumb of the user, a lighter including a tank for inammable fluid and igniting mechanism contained` within said hollow vessel and below said cover, said igniting mechanism being adjacent the cover of said mug, a flexible wire-like linkage between said igniting mechanism Within said vessel and the finger piece external of said vessel, said linkage extending through an aperture in the wall of said vessel and being movable in response to movement of said linger piece in a predetermined direction to actuate said igniting mechanism, said igniting mechanism including a pivotally arranged member having a slot therein and a projecting pin positioned beyond and above said slot, said linkage comprising a loop secured at one end to said pin and at the other end to a U-shaped wire keeper located externally of said beer mug and adjacent said finger piece, said U-shaped keeper being movable in response to movement of said finger piece whereby downward movement of the linger piece raises said keeper and `said cover and causes said projecting pinto be lowered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Boone .lune 19, 1928 Bernhardt Nov. 27, 1934 173,400 Austria May v15, 1952 

